ASU football finalizes schedule for 2013-14 season

ASU’s football schedule for the 2013-14 season is set, and it’s a pretty brutal start.

The season starts on Sept. 7 against Sacramento State at Sun Devil Stadium. While it may seem like a typical cupcake non-conference game, the Hornets have defeated Pac-12 schools on the road in consecutive seasons. They defeated Oregon State in 2011 29-28 in overtime and beat Colorado 30-28 last season.

Then it gets really tough. The Sun Devils face Big Ten Champions Wisconsin the following week at Sun Devil Stadium. The Badgers recently hired Utah State head coach Gary Andersen after Bret Bielema bolted for Arkansas.

As if that wasn’t a tough enough game, ASU starts Pac-12 play on the road against the conference champions. The Sun Devils will play Stanford for the first time in the Pac-12 on Sept. 21. They’ll return home the next week to face USC.

The toughest game on the schedule for ASU will be played at Cowboys Stadium. The Sun Devils will face Notre Dame in Arlington, Texas on Oct. 5. The Fighting Irish went undefeated in the regular season in 2012 before losing to Alabama in the BCS National Championship game.

The Sun Devils wrap up the season with three of their last five games on the road, including a Nov. 23 matchup against UCLA at the Rose Bowl that could determine the Pac-12 South champion.

The schedule wraps up on Nov. 30 for the Territorial Cup when UA rolls into town.

Along with Stanford, ASU will also face Washington for the first time in the Pac-12. The Huskies will travel to Sun Devil Stadium for Homecoming on Oct. 19. The Sun Devils will miss Pac-12 North opponents Oregon and California in the schedule rotation for the next two seasons.